Rejuvenation of the Han Dynasty in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 397 The Power of the Catapult
In the early morning of the second day, when the sun was rising, Liu He ordered the three armies to prepare to attack the city. Except for the well outside the north gate, the rest of the gates had catapults and carts.

The drums sounded, the horns were battalion, people outside Jinan shouted horses, the cavalry guarded the flanks, and the infantry was in the middle, approaching the direction of the moat step by step.

Because Gongsun Zan raised the city wall, although the archers below the city could not attack the defenders above the city, the range of the bows and arrows above the city was also shortened, unable to form a cover for the moat.

As a result, the role of the moat was greatly reduced, and the defenders could not cover it. The Hebei Army soon laid stones in the river and built a bridge with wooden planks and bamboo rafts. Even without lowering the suspension bridge, they could rush to the city wall in one smooth river. Down.

However, the Hebei army was not in a hurry to launch an attack. After clearing the obstacle of the moat first, they lined up the catapults on the edge of the river, and there were already carts pulling stones and piled up behind them.

The defenders didn't know why, and when they saw the other party loading stones, with the sound of squeaking, they saw that the head-sized stone was thrown away and flew straight to the top of the city.

The defenders turned pale with fright, and hurriedly covered their heads to avoid, and then heard countless muffled sounds, the city wall shook, and dust flew up. Although not a single stone hit the city, the sound was terrifying.

The defenders were still in shock, and the second batch of stones was thrown up again, this time at a higher angle than the previous one. Several smaller stones flew up to the top of the wall and hit the defenders, causing a series of screams.

The catapults under the city were also constantly adjusting the angle and direction. Seeing that the big stone could not be thrown onto the top of the city, they replaced it with smaller stones, and the slightly larger ones were used to smash the city wall. On the wall, it is also extremely destructive.

In the past few days, Liu He and the others observed outside the city, and found that although Gongsun Zan had raised the city wall, it was not fully integrated with the old city wall because it was built temporarily. Many places were even supported by wooden boards and stakes, which were not firm. Under the impact of the boulder, it soon loosened and collapsed.

The defenders at the east, west and south gates were lucky, they just had to be careful to avoid the stones, but the defenders at the north gate were crying out in agony. The screams had never stopped since the beginning of the siege. It is too strong.

The bows and crossbows on the well were condescending and powerful. The archers of the defenders could do nothing, but the crossbows could shoot them with precision. After killing two leading lieutenants one after another, all the defenders hid behind the wall. Under the battlements or in the towers, there is no one on the top of the city.

Gongsun Zan personally commanded at the north gate, but after being almost shot in the arm by the flying crossbow arrows, his face turned pale with fright, and he hid in the tower and dared not show his face again.

Unexpectedly, one morning passed, and the four-gate heightened city wall was damaged and collapsed, which was extremely detrimental to the defenders. They could not stand firmly on the city, let alone suppress the enemy troops who were close to the city wall.

Until now, Liu He still did not forcefully attack the city. In the afternoon, he still attacked with crossbow arrows and catapults, as if he wanted to bring down all the city walls before he was reconciled.

Gongsun Zan was anxious and angry. He did not confront the enemy, but was completely suppressed by the enemy. No matter how strong the city wall was, if it went on like this, it would be defeated one day. The folk husbands of the Tulou also drove over to help defend the city.

Finally, the sun set and the winter night came very quickly, only to see the sunset glow, and immediately the sky and the earth became dark, and the people outside the city retreated slowly, and the defenders finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This day's siege made everyone's scalp numb and exhausted physically and mentally. The defense equipment they prepared was of no use at all, but most of the city wall was smashed down.

Especially those heightened parts are even more uneven, like a dog gnaws, and there are even faults in some places, the defenders can't pass through, and they dare not stand. If a piece collapses accidentally, even people may fall out of the city .

Gongsun Zan looked at the dilapidated city wall, but there was nothing he could do. He ordered the defenders to repair the city wall overnight. Except for the wounded, the rest of the soldiers could only rest for two hours, and they had to alternately defend or repair the city. All the young and strong men were forcibly recruited to assist in the defense works.

For a while, the soldiers in the city were exhausted, and the people resented. In the middle of the night, it was freezing and the north wind was howling, but they still couldn't rest. The whole city was busy with torches.

It wasn't until midnight that Gongsun Zan returned to the tulou to rest, and ordered Gongsun Ji to patrol the city, and Gongsun Xu to guard the tulou. He also knew that doing so would cause dissatisfaction among the people and prevent anyone from harming him.

After the fourth watch, in a private house near the east gate, there is a special place for making mud. Fine soil and grass leaves are mixed, and water is added to make mud. The wood and adobe can be bonded together. After drying , is a wall of acquaintances.

At this time, a pile of bonfires was about to be extinguished, and the mud had already frozen into clods. More than a dozen peasants hid in their rooms to keep out the cold, listening to the howling wind outside, each of them grimaced and sighed.

After waiting for a long time without seeing the patrolling soldiers passing by, one of them suddenly said: "Everyone, Liu He will come to attack the city again tomorrow. I am afraid that the city wall will not be able to hold it. At night, we will be asked to repair the city. This goes on and on, without letting people rest day and night. Sooner or later To be tortured to death by Gongsun Zan, this man never sympathizes with the common people, why should we sacrifice our lives for him?"

One of them carefully looked around and sighed: "Brother, be careful with your words. Why don't we hate Gongsun Zan? But he has many soldiers, so who would dare to fight against him? I heard that Liu and his father and son are kind and loving, and everyone yearns for it. But we have to wait until they enter the city to say yes?"

The rest of the people nodded in agreement, everyone was looking forward to Liu He's entry into the city, but at this time, forced by Gongsun Zan's power, they had no choice but to help him prevent Liu He from attacking the city.

The man whispered: "Everyone, instead of suffering, why don't we all work together, let's open the east gate and welcome Liu and his troops into the city. Isn't it once and for all?"

One said with a wry smile, "We are unarmed and only rely on the muddy hoes in our hands. How can we be the opponents of those defenders?"

The man said with a low smile: "As long as you have this heart, I will contact other brothers. We gather enough 1000 people, and everyone will go up together, grab the city gate and open it, and we can rush out. At that time, the defenders will do nothing." without us."

"Brother, you're right. You're going to die anyway, why don't you fight for it?" Immediately someone joined in, clenched their fists and said, "We'll open the city to welcome Liu and his soldiers, and we'll still have credit for it. After we get the reward, we don't have to fight any more." Do this coolie."

"If you can buy a few acres of land and marry a wife, wouldn't it be better than suffering here?"

"That's right, I'm willing to risk my fortune to gain wealth!"

A few people agreed, and everyone's heart was moved immediately. Soon everyone's tone became eager, discussing how to ask for merit and reward, and how to settle down for the rest of their lives.

(End of this chapter)